Charity offers 'life size' virtual whale on web

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WCDS), "the global voice for the protection of whales, dolphins and their environment", has launched a "life size blue whale interactive banner", which can be seen here.

It is an approximately one-to-one scale map of a whale, as if seen through unrealistically clear water, movie-style. Mostly it looks like, well, a closeup of the side of a whale.

According to the WCDS, this is "possibly the last chance [for people] to experience a life-size blue whale...in the comfort of their own home".

The WDCS doesn't mean the interactive banner is soon to disappear - indeed it would like people to spread it around the internet on their sites - but that real whales may soon be no more, should the pro-whaling nations nations succeed in overturning the present international ban on commercial hunting.

The whale banner was created by German ad agency Jung von Matt using Soulpix 3D animation technology.

Other services offered by the WCDS include giveaways for school children and teachers, or even visits to schools. It is also possible to adopt a whale or a dolphin, though there seem to be only 14 whales up for adoption at present – prospective whale parents have to share. The adoptees in question live off Cape Cod or British Columbia depending on species. The adopt-a-dolphin WCDS webpage was down at the time of writing.

Lindsay Bruce, the WCDS' UK IT manager, tells us that he's looking for some cheap hosting at the moment. Those wishing to do the cause of cetacean conservation a favour should contact him. ®